Electronic structure of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide monolayers

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) monolayers obtained by Langmuir Blodgett route and suitably treated to obtain reduced graphene oxide (RGO) monolayers were studied by photoelectron spectroscopy. Upon reduction of GO to form RGO C1s x-ray photoelectron spectra showed increase in graphitic carbon content, while ultraviolet photoelectron spectra showed increase in intensity corresponding to C2p-pi electrons (similar to 3.5 eV). X-ray excited Auger transitions C(KVV) and plasmon energy loss of C1s photoelectrons have been analyzed to elucidate the valence band structure. The effective number of (pi+sigma) electrons as obtained from energy loss spectra was found to increase by similar to 28% on reduction of GO. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4749841]